Appalachian Prison Book Project to Host Fall Carnival and Cakewalk

Morgantown, WV, October 24, 2006:  A WVU student organization will host its second annual Fall Carnival and Cakewalk to help provide books for the inmates of West Virginia’s prisons.

The Appalachian Prison Book Project’s Fall Carnival and Cakewalk will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 in the Stansbury Hall Gym on WVU’s Downtown Campus. Admission is $3 and includes a ticket for one “walk” in the cakewalks. Additional cakewalk tickets will be available for $1 each.

In addition to the cakewalk, the event will feature a variety of games for children, including “Guess Who I Am,” in which the children will ask a series of questions in order to guess the identities of characters from fairy tales or educational television shows. Three of Morgantown’s veteran children’s theater actors will also present the interactive drama “The Three Never-Wrong Fortunetellers.” Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.

The carnival will feature a sale of hardcover books, which are not accepted by most prisons.

Money raised from the event will be used to fulfill the Appalachian Prison Book Project’s central mission-to distribute books free of charge to women and men in prison, particularly in West Virginia and other regions of Appalachia.

“In West Virginia, 277 out of every 100,000 residents are behind bars,” said Mark Brazaitis, an APBP member and associate professor of English in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. “We’re talking about a large population, a population that, in most cases, will reenter society at some point. By sending prisoners books, we give them a lifeline to their imaginations and intellects. The power of a book to transform a life shouldn’t be underestimated.”

APBP grew out of a graduate prison literature class taught by Katy Ryan, assistant professor of English, in the fall of 2004. It is now an official student organization at WVU, but members also include professors and members of the Morgantown community. For more information about the Appalachian Prison Book Project or on becoming a pen pal to someone in prison, please email appalachianpbp@gmail.com.

For more information about the carnival and cakewalk, please contact Katy Ryan at 304-293-3107, ext. 33424 or at kohearnr@wvu.edu, or Mark Brazaitis at 304-293-3107, ext. 33402, or at mbrazait@wvu.edu.

W-V-U